Political party and paramilitary force by 2011, in Goverment in 2016 and coalition government with the Loyalists in 2017 after WW3

Active

Since the late 20th Century - Present

The Ultranationalists are a revolutionary political party and armed paramilitary force in Russia who wish to return the country back to what it was during the days of the Soviet Union. They believe that the Russian Federation does not have the best interests of the Russian people at heart, siding with Western interests both philosophically and economically, and they perceive this to be destroying or weakening the Russian state. The Ultranationalists idolize the Soviet Union out of a sense of national pride, though their actual commitment to Communist political and economic ideals are left ambiguous and unknown.

In this crusade for national liberation, the Ultranationalists consider the powers of the Western world, specifically the United States of America and the United Kingdom, to be major obstacles in their path, as well as any Russians who do not support their aims, which includes the political wing of the party which advocates peace with the Western world. The extremist group's funds come from several criminal activities such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, hijackings, arms dealings and kidnappings.

They are supplied with weapons by several arms dealers around the world, such as Alejandro Rojas and Imran Zakhaev, who was an arms dealer before becoming the Party's leader. In 2016, the Ultranationalists seized control of Russia through election and have markedly increased their power and military and political strength since then.

The Ultranationalists started as a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist political party in post-Soviet Russia with the main aim of toppling the pro-Western loyalist Russian government. Their influence now extends far beyond Russia's borders, with a Russian air base located in Kazakhstan, military equipment from Ukraine, several contacts in the Middle East, and at least one known contact in Brazil. Their influence has been seen throughout Africa with multiple contacts there as well.

In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the Ultranationalists appeared as an unofficial, guerrilla-styled militia. Their clothing consisted of an assortment of gas masks, ski masks, camouflaged clothing, combat jackets and various other makeshift gear.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Ultranationalists that are encountered are loyal to the government and President Boris Vorshevsky (representing the mainstream, popular faction), and those loyal to Vladimir Makarov are called inner circle associates of Zakhaev and political extremists (sometimes called "The Shadow Of Zakhaev"). The Ultranationalists came in three varieties: Vorshevsky's men wore snow gear, full military gear, and Makarov's men wore guerrilla gear.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the Ultranationalists appear to be wearing a standard uniform with a variety of headgear. In Paris, most of the soldiers are wearing gas masks to protect themselves from the chemical attack. In London, the Russians are wearing work suits of orange and brown as well as multiple gas masks.

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Vladimir Makarov, the leader of the Inner Circle and later much of the Ultranationalists.

Boris Vorshevsky, who became leader of the Ultranationalists and President of Russia following Zakhaev's death.

The first known political head of the Russian Ultranationalist Party was Imran Zakhaev, a former arms dealer who operated from Ukraine, selling spent uranium fuel rods from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor to generate money for his cause following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear meltdown disaster and the later dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Before and during the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the Ultranationalist Party encountered a split, with those loyal to the extremist Vladimir Makarov separating themselves from those whom were loyal to the moderate president, Boris Vorshevsky. Due to his extreme tactics, Makarov was pushed out of the inner circle of the party. For the most part, he is unaffiliated with the Ultranationalists politically though it seems he has taken control of the military force and extended some of the Party's activities more towards terrorism. Prior to his excommunication from the Party, Makarov had some influence in the government, as shown by clippings found in his safehouse; he directed blame for the death of the now-hailed Zakhaev on Bravo Team, including the incarcerated John Price.

After the war on America was halted, Makarov went underground to form a new offensive against the West, which would later erupt into World War III. On route to Hamburg, Germany to sign a peace treaty with NATO delegates, Vorshevsky was kidnapped by Makarov's Inner Circle, where he would be brutally interrogated by Makarov himself in the hopes of obtaining the launch codes for Russia's nuclear arsenal. In Vorshevsky's absence, Makarov became the de facto leader of the Ultranationalists. He coordinated the chemical attacks on various parts of Europe with help from the Africa Militia and his third-in-command, Volk.

Despite the best efforts of the Bundeswehr and Delta Force, Vorshevsky's daughter Alena was kidnapped by Ultranationalists in Berlin. A later joint collaboration between Delta and the disavowed Task Force 141 rescued both Vorshevsky and his daughter, though not without casualties from Delta Force. As a token of peace and gratitude with the West, President Vorshevsky immediately removed Makarov from the leadership of the Ultranationalist Party. He then ordered all Russian forces in Europe to end the offensive against the U.S. and Europe. An Ultranationalist-Loyalist coalition government was formed under his leadership.

The Ultranationalists have been engaged in open warfare with forces loyal to the Russian Federation for some time prior to the start of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. While their greatest influence appears to be in the former Soviet states in the Caucasus Mountains and Central Asia, they present a clear threat to the Russian state and have designs on taking over the rest of the former Soviet Union. Aside from fighting in Russia, the Ultranationalists have a presence in Al-Asad's unnamed Middle Eastern nation, providing them with arms and equipment including at least one nuclear warhead (and the attempted delivery of a second warhead, as shown in "Crew Expendable"). They are the ones behind Al-Asad's rise to power, and later become the primary antagonists during the last two acts of the game. Their large presence in the Caucasus region, Ukraine, and Central Asia suggests that their soldiers may include men from those countries, hinting that several of the former Soviet states believe in the Ultranationalist cause.

The Ultranationalists appear to have a complete disregard for the Geneva Conventions or any of the rules of war, using very brutal methods to achieve their military and political goals. These include the slaughter of entire villages, making no distinction between civilian and military targets, the use of infantry and rocket attacks to deliberately kill civilians, torture, and a variety of other acts classified as war crimes. This is likely done to spread fear among the Russian population and force them to submit to the Ultranationalists. Thus, they are terrorists by definition--using acts of terror to make others believe in or submit to one's way--though the word "terrorist" is never actually mentioned in-game.

In 2011, a joint SAS/Marine task force led by Captain John Price sets out to lure Imran Zakhaev from hiding by capturing his son, Victor Zakhaev. Once cornered, Victor commits suicide by shooting himself to avoid capture. Zakhaev then retaliates for his son's death by taking control of an ICBM launch facility in the Altay Mountains and launching several nuclear missiles, targeting the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, threatening nearly 41,000,000 civilians. The task force infiltrates the launch facility and disables the ICBMs. As the task force attempts to flee, the remaining Ultranationalists pursue them and eventually cut off their escape route. The ensuing firefight leads to the deaths of most of the task force (including Griggs, Gaz, and about five other SAS operatives who made it to the bridge). Shortly after the initial firefight, Zakhaev arrives and executes the injured SAS survivors. However, one of the injured SAS operatives, Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish regains consciousness and manages to kill Zakhaev by shooting him with Price's M1911. Later, it is rumored that the Ultranationalist Party had collapsed following their leader's demise, with the news media citing a "leadership struggle."[1]

Sometime between the wars, an unknown chapter of the Ultranationalists (possibly made up of or assisted by OpFor, judging by the symbols of their flag) seized control of a Middle Eastern country, ruled by the family of Prince Farhad. The takeover resulted in Farhad desiring to purchase a nuclear weapon to annihilate his foes, hiring Insurgents. This prompts both the SAS and USMC to take action to prevent such a delivery. After chasing the nuke across South America, the Middle East, and Russia, Sgt. Patrick O'Neil finally disarmed the nuke, ending Farhad's plan. The nations of the West then considered a possible intervention in the country.

Security camera footage of Makarov's team shooting into a crowd of civilians at Zakhaev International Airport. Allen is not shown.

By August 2016,[2] the Ultranationalists emerged victorious over the Loyalists, ending the Second Russian Civil War. Five years after the loss of Imran Zakhaev, a former associate of his, Vladimir Makarov, assumes control of the underground Ultranationalist forces, while Ultranationalist Boris Vorshevsky is elected as the new President of the Russian Federation. Makarov has been described as a violent, almost psychotic person and, as such, is forced out of Vorshevsky's inner circle. This angers Makarov, leading him to denounce Vorshevsky and other Ultranationalists. It is said that Zakhaev had held Makarov in check, but with him gone, Makarov was left free to control portions of the Party to further his own agenda.

At some point, the Ultranationalist Party also gains the support of Russia's people, subverting the state they had once tried to conquer openly. Ultranationalist ideology has become increasingly popular amongst ordinary Russians to the extent that the elder Zakhaev has been declared the "Hero of the New Russia" by popular acclaim, and much of the Russian state now supports the Party's aims, even if they are not officially members of the group.

As heads of state, the Ultranationalist Party is presumed to have official access to the Russian military and all of the men and materiel at its disposal. In 2016, Ultranationalist Russia declares war on the United States when it was discovered that a CIA agent took part in a terrorist attack on Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow. The Russian military invades the East Coast of the United States with some measure of success, capturing the nation's capital within a day of the attack. It is unknown what happens to the Ultranationalist Party after the Russian army is driven from Washington D.C. Some in the U.S. military vow revenge on Russia, such as one Corporal Dunn, who promises to "burn it [Moscow] down when we [the United States military] get there."

These newspaper articles describe some of the actions taken by Makarov's Inner Circle:

Following the defeat of the Russian forces in Washington D.C., the remaining combatants centralized their focus on New York City, where they engaged in a slugging match with the United States military. The Russians successfully established various temporary airfields within the city alongside numerous SAM sites. These factors were only bolstered by a broadcast tower planted on the roof of the New York Stock Exchange building on Wall Street, which proceeded to jam the guidance systems of U.S. aircraft, as well as their radio communications within a certain distance of the tower. The Russians maintained air superiority within the city for the majority of the conflict, putting U.S. forces on the defensive, until Delta Force operators from Team Metal launched a successful operation to assault the Stock Exchange and disable the radio jammer, reestablishing radio communications and aircraft guidance systems. Shortly after recovering their ability to utilize their aircraft, the U.S. initiated a series of synchronized airstrikes on the established Russian airfields and SAM sites, allowing them to regain air dominance and quickly push the remaining Russian forces back to New York Harbor, where the Russian Navy was put on the defensive. Team Metal executed a second operation in conjunction with Navy SEALs to neutralize the fleet's command vessel, an Oscar II submarine known as 'Olga.' Metal successfully planted mines on the submarine and forced it to surface, allowing their operatives to infiltrate the vessel and eliminate its crew and fleet commander. Metal fired the submarine's cruise missiles on its own fleet, devastating multiple Russian warships and resulting in the invasion force calling a full scale retreat from the East Coast back to Russia in defeat.

Two months later on October 3, Russian President Boris Vorshevsky opted to seek peace with the United States and their NATO allies. Germany agreed to act as the neutral ground for this meeting and the U.S. Vice President was flown to Hamburg to meet with Vorshevsky to negotiate a peace treaty to end the war. While on a flight to meet with the Vice President, Vorshevsky's plane was hijacked by members of Vladimir Makarov's Inner Circle and forced it to crash land. President Vorshevsky was soon kidnapped by Makarov, pressuring him into further escalate the war. With Vorshevsky gone and the peace talks cancelled, the Russian war machine pressed onward. Makarov executed a plan for Russia to invade and conquer Europe, expanding its dominion into a vast empire, like it once had been inthe past days he glorified. The Inner Circle successfully delivered a vast number of chemical weapons to European capitals across the continent and proceeded to detonate them outside of chief government and military command buildings. Thousands of people died with the initial invasions as Russian Ground Forces poured over Europe in the wake of the chemical attacks, ambushing the beleagured European nations. Within the first few days of the invasion, Russia claimed the vast majority of Europe as its territory, with NATO barely clinging on to the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain.

The height of Russia's domination of Europe.

The line was drawn in the middle of western Europe, but the United States managed to put up a steady resistance against Russian advancement. Makarov's ultimate goal was to use President Vorshevsky to acquire the launch codes for Russia's nuclear arsenal in order to destroy U.S. and NATO resistance. His plan ultimately failed when a joint effort between Delta Force and Task Force 141 operators led to President Vorshevsky being rescued from Makarov's grasp and returned to Moscow, where he immediately acted to have the generals and politicians who had betrayed him apprehended and the invasion on Europe immediately called to withdraw, resuming the cancelled peace talks. Shortly after peace was agreed to, Makarov slipped into hiding only to later be hunted down and killed by Captain Price in the Arabian Peninsula.

In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the Ultranationalist militants are fairly well organized and very well equipped for an unofficial military entity. They are armed with a mixture of Soviet-era hardware and some examples of NATO weaponry (predominantly German H&K guns). However, some of the equipment they make use of is somewhat outdated. As a rogue army, these men appear to be bound only by vague guidelines in terms of battle dress, seen wearing varied headgear such as Shemaghs, ski masks, and even gas masks. They are also seen wearing varying camouflage patterns and body armor in the form of ballistic vests, which can be seen under their load bearing vests. None of their ground combat elements wear ballistic helmets, save for their aviation elements. This is a likely choice, considering they supplied the OpFor with their PASGT helmets. They otherwise operate as a conventional army, capable of deploying all manner of Russian aircraft and ground vehicles.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the Ultranationalist arsenal is far more advanced and diverse, as its soldiers are seen equipped with several types of modern Russian and NATO weaponry (initially supplied to the Loyalist Russian government by sympathetic NATO members as military support for the civil war they were waging against the ultranationalists and subsequently re-issued by the victorious ultranationalist government to their now loyal Russian armed forces, some could also have been acquired through their connections to Alejandro Rojas, a Brazilian Arms Dealer). After the civil war, the Ultranationalists solidified themselves as the nation's official defense force, reflected in their greatly increased numbers, their uniform manner of battle dress, and their increased military capabilities. These troops appear much more modern and advanced than their predecessors, donning new gear such as 6B-43 tactical vests and helmets (on par with NATO standards), and appropriate camouflage attire for their operational environments (see Inner Circle to see Makarov's Ultranationalist equipment and weapons).

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the Ultranationalists make heavier use of suppressors. They can also be seen using two attachments in "Black Tuesday"(ex. AK-47 ACOG w/ suppressor). Unlike the invasion force seen in Modern Warfare 2, in which all of them wear body armor and Kevlar helmets, the Ultranationalists in Modern Warfare 3 seem to be more laid back, in which all are wearing woolen combat jackets (either in urban, woodland or snow colored camouflage), BDU pants, simple black tactical load bearing vests, and much lighter body armor. In terms of headwear, most wear Kevlar helmets but others wear beanies, blue-colored berets, or black balaclavas. The Ultranationalist Russian Navy personnel that is seen in "Hunter Killer" wear a combination of navy jumpsuits, Russian Navy blue sailor jackets with collar, the distinct Russian Navy blue and white stripe t-shirts, life jackets, load-bearing gear, and some wear beanies.

The full list of Ultranationalist arms and vehicles in the single player campaign in both games is as follows:

Desert Eagle (only used by Imran Zakhaev, Vladimir Makarov, and the soldier attempting to execute President Vorchevsky in "Down the Rabbit Hole," as well as the soldier in "Crew Expendable" behind any shipping crate that the player gets to before the rest of the squad in a certain part of the mission)

The victory and defeat music of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Ultranationalists is derived from the song Onwards. The spawn theme is derived from Going Loud.

The better-equipped soldiers depicted in Modern Warfare 2 are likely to be VDV (airborne) soldiers, as opposed to their Modern Warfare 3 counterparts. They are seen parachuting in as part of the invasion force. The soldiers in Modern Warfare 3 much more resemble the RGF (Russian Ground Force), being able to occupy various countries in Europe.